Two weeks have passed, filled with confusion and frustration as Pravat never attempts to reach Tiwa and explain things. Tiwa is hurt and abandoned, wondering what he did wrong to deserve this treatment. He contemplates reaching out to Pravat himself, but his pride stops him, convincing him that Pravat will reach out if he truly wants to. Tiwa hopes Pravat will contact him soon, but it appears that Pravat has completely forgotten about him while being involved with Decha.
Tears brim in his eyes as he thinks about it. Panicking about getting caught, he quickly looks up at the bus' ceiling and lets out shallow breaths to blink the tears away. He does not want anyone to see him in this state. Feeling Kay's hand on his shoulder, Tiwa jumps slightly before turning to see his concerned expression.
"Are you all right?" Kay asks, giving a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.
Tiwa masks his inner turmoil with a laugh. "I'm fine. There is nothing." He tries to distract himself by focusing on the passing scenery outside the window, but his thoughts keep drifting back to Pravat and the heartache he feels. "I hope it is true. If there really is nothing, I will never get distracted or worry too much."
He sighs and lets the emptiness creep in because the big concert is only a few hours away, and he knows he needs to focus. The name of the concert brings a small smile to his face, but it quickly fades as he arrives at the arena with his bandmates. The chaos of the lights and technical crew shouting and running around mirrors the chaos in his mind. Their manager is screaming at a stagehand, adding to the tension in the air.
Shaking his head, Tiwa grabs Jaran's hand and goes to their dressing room, then makes themselves comfortable before discussing some things. Everyone gets ready and comments on their costumes, taking their own time. Things go smoothly until they hear Pravat's voice echoing slightly down the hallway. "Hey guys, are you ready?"
No one responds because they don't want to, but Decha yells enough for Pravat to hear. "Yeah, just give us a minute."
Tiwa's nose flares slightly as he realizes he has no rights in this situation, but it still stings. If he has no mission to focus on, he will leave the arena and wander around to release some of his pent-up anger and frustration. With each passing second, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to contain his emotions. Despite wanting to maintain focus on the concert, he rushes everyone to leave quickly, even if they still have an hour.
They're backstage, waiting for the stagehand to signal, and then Tiwa notices his Bambi necklace is missing. He frowns and pats his clothes in the hope of finding them somewhere, but they're not there. "Where did I miss it?" He asks himself and thinks about it. When nothing helps, he excuses himself and runs back all the way to the dressing room in search of his necklace.
"Looking for something?" Pravat leans casually against the doorway with his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah. A little nec-" The words halt in Tiwa's throat as he realizes what he's doing. "Do I need to say everything to him? Who are we to each other to share such things, huh?" With a glare, he pushes past Pravat and continues his search for the missing necklace.
Pravat chuckles, pulling a hand out of his pocket and holding the Bambi necklace in his fingers. "You mean this?"
"The hell? Give it back!" Tiwa makes a grab for it but misses as Pravat, quick as a snake, moves around him and dangles it out of reach.
"Nuh-uh. Not till you do something for me," Pravat smirks, twirling the necklace around his finger.
Tiwa narrows his eyes, clenches his fists at his sides, and tackles Pravat to the floor with a loud 'oof!'. As they both fall, Tiwa lands atop Pravat, knocking the air out of him. He quickly grabs the fallen necklace and securely puts it in his pocket. "Leave my stuff alone, Pravat," he warns.
"It was on the floor. Not like I filched it from your pocket or something," Pravat winks.
Tiwa snorts and shakes his head. "Yeah, yeah. Excuses, exc-" Before he can finish his sentence, he feels something enter his mouth—it's a pill. "What?" He looks at Pravat with wide eyes as the alpha bursts out laughing, a sound he has never heard from him before. He swallows the pill, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he waits for the effects to kick in.
Suddenly, Tiwa feels a light flutter in his chest, and his breath catches as he realizes he is still lying on top of Pravat. Looking into Pravat's eyes, Tiwa sees that he is staring right back at him. Pravat's boldness and fearless attitude draw Tiwa in, making him feel irresistibly attracted to him. Even if Tiwa turns into a diamond, his thoughts will always be consumed by his attraction to Pravat.
"Tiwa? It's time for our concert." Decha's voice startles Tiwa, causing him to quickly move away from Pravat. He stumbles as he gets up, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. Looking around, he slowly meets Decha's gaze, relieved that his brother didn't catch him at that moment.
"Yeah.." Tiwa nods and pats his clothes to rub the dust off them. "Let's go." With that, he allows his gaze to be directed at Decha and is careful not to look at Pravat because it is not the right time.
Taking a deep breath, he sets his shoulders before following Decha. Halfway through, he slides his hand into his pocket to grab the necklace, but it's not there. "How could this be possible? I remember putting the necklace in my pocket." Confusedly, he looks around without stopping and finds Pravat proudly wearing that necklace with a smirk on his lips.
Tiwa raises a finger at him, but Pravat douches it with his wink. Shaking his head, Tiwa ignores Pravat and enters the stage.
With everything in order, the concert begins, and happiness floods Tiwa's entire being. He starts tapping his foot and moving his hands as he hears the beat. He closes his eyes and expresses whatever his heart feels. His blood is flowing. His mind is free from all the stress. It's beautiful when the fans feel the same and drown in his song. It feels like he's flying.
After the concert, he opens his eyes slowly and waves a hand at the fans along with his bandmates. His heart starts to get a good vibe when the fans cheer and praise their talents. Saving those good memories, he walks backstage and can still hear the sounds of people dispersing, chattering excitedly with each other about the day's entertainment and proceedings. Soon, their voices and footsteps fade into the distance.
***
Pravat is waiting for the concert to end so he can pull Tiwa aside for a few minutes, sensing that something is amiss. Despite thinking he had everything under control, it appears that something is troubling Tiwa. Although Tiwa acts as if everything is fine, Pravat can't shake the feeling that something is not right. He struggles to pinpoint what it could be, realizing that it's something beyond his comprehension.
Taking out his phone, he calls Decha to distract his bandmates. Decha effortlessly breaks their concentration and gives Pravat a thumbs up to proceed with his plan. With determination, Pravat grabs Tiwa's hand and leads him to a nearby room to have a serious conversation.
Tiwa squeals and tries to break free from the hold, but Pravat shushes him as soon as Tiwa locks eyes with him. Despite the anger swirling around him, mixed with other unsaid emotions, Tiwa pushes Pravat away and storms out of the room.
Pravat furrows his brows briefly before letting out a breathless little laugh. It feels like Tiwa is bothered by something about him. He needs to know the reason, so he yells after Tiwa, "Baby deer!"
Tiwa continues walking, ignoring the alpha. He puts some distance between them and creates a barrier, but Pravat is certain that Tiwa can still hear him. Seeing Tiwa like this once more, Pravat wants to break through that barrier, crash right through it, knock it down, and shake him until Tiwa can't hold anything back. Eventually, Tiwa turns and shakes his head. "Fuck off, Pravat."
"So it's playtime!" Pravat says, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. A smile plays on his lips as he doesn't stop his walk, and he even picks up some speed to catch up with Tiwa. "Hey!" He yells louder.
Tiwa jerks a little but keeps walking, prompting Pravat to run to catch up with him.
"Baby deer! Stop! Wait!" Pravat calls out, using a much calmer and softer voice.
"What?" Tiwa turns around and shouts back, and then everything becomes mechanical.
Pravat pushes Tiwa against the wall, cups his soft cheeks with his hands, presses his hard body against him, and kisses him passionately. He carves this feeling intensely—the touch of Tiwa's lips and the softness of it. In response, Tiwa's kiss conveys how much he misses Pravat too, unable to express it verbally. Their bodies melt together in that moment, the world fading away as they lose themselves in each other.
Pravat's heart races as he feels the depth of Tiwa's emotions, so he mutters, "So the reason for the baby deer's anger is missing his tiger!"
Tiwa shoves Pravat away upon hearing that, realizing something and trying to stop himself from leaning into his space. "What is that? Did you mistake me for Decha?" He asks feistily, consumed by the flames of jealousy.
Pravat chuckles softly, shaking his head in amusement. "I'm hurt by your lack of faith in me," he says. "How can I mistake my feisty baby deer for someone else? Also, it has quite the temper when I'm being close to someone."
Tiwa narrows his eyes, looking suspicious.
"Amazing. I want to dedicate my whole life to making you look suspicious if you look this amazing." Pravat says, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
"So you aren't flirting with him?" Tiwa asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Pravat laughs, not playing games but genuinely finding Tiwa's comment funny. It's been a while since someone made him laugh like that. "Oh, baby deer," he says with remnants of laughter in his throat, "Decha is just assisting me in taking care of you." He cups Tiwa's cheeks, feeling the warmth beneath his touch. "You're the only one for me, the one fixed point in my changing heart. I'm not blind to letting go of you, this beauty. I'll treasure you forever."
Tiwa playfully slaps Pravat on the shoulder and quickly looks away to hide his blush. Then, he raises a finger in the air, freezing in a frown, as if something has just crossed his mind and he needs an explanation. "Well, what pill did you give me earlier? It was so bitter."
"You seemed distressed, so I guessed that would help." Pravat shrugs his shoulders and walks with Tiwa to his dressing room, their shoulders brushing with each step.
Suddenly, Tiwa stops in his tracks and turns to look at Pravat. His expression flickers, causing Pravat to doubt whether he's said the wrong thing. But then a half-smile appears on Tiwa's lips. It's enough to make the darkness in their lives glow. To prove the point, Tiwa throws himself at Pravat and holds him tight while breathing in the musk scent. Even though he doesn't profess his love, Pravat knows his heart, so he will make sure Tiwa never feels blue!